Thursday, October 24th
Sunday, October 27th
7-9 Mountain Time
Hosts: Dan and Mark
Participants: YOU!
In the recent General Conference, a number of talks placed emphasis on what the meaning of church was for Latter-day Saints. The sense I (Mark) got from this conference was that “church” is the delivery vehicle for the ordinances of salvation and exaltation, the only place where we can follow the covenant path and return to heaven.
I cannot help but wonder if that is what “church” means for me and others who may share a more nuanced journey of faith. Is my identity as a “member” of an institution? Or, does my identity as a “Latter-day Saint” challenge me to find holiness in communion with others? It seems to me that the original followers of the Way of Jesus called themselves “saints,” not because they were perfect, but rather, they had chosen to find that holiness that arises for their divine nature, in the same way that Jesus found it in himself. And as they gathered together, they understood their gatherings of friends for a communion meal as being an “ecclesia” or as the Greek is translated into English: “church.” They served one another, and they served others, to the point that they may have originally been called “the kind ones.”
But when Church — with a capital “C” — becomes an exclusive institution that polices membership and excludes those who don’t conform to cultural standards of the Church–when Church becomes the only way to heaven, then perhaps the very idea of Church needs to be rethought. Perhaps it needs to be “uncapitalized,” as in “church,” so that we can perhaps reclaim the idea of gatherings in communion of friends, to lift each others’ burdens, to mourn with those who mourn, and to comfort those who stand in need of comfort, regardless of whether they belong to our “Church” or not.
So in this month’s firesides, let’s explore how to redefine church in a way that renders it more loving, more useful, more kind, more honest and transparent for us. This may lead us to some shifts in perspective:
- Instead of prioritizing love of god over the love of others, perhaps we can love god through our love of others.
- Instead of perfection being “exact obedience”, perhaps we see perfection as wholeness and unconditional love.
- Instead of covenant paths, perhaps we can think of being in an unconditional, loving relationship with God and others.
- Instead of being bound to Jesus, perhaps we can see how Jesus liberates us to act for ourselves and not be acted upon.
- Instead of focusing on atonement theories, perhaps we can see how Jesus invites us to be one in love towards each other.
And who knows? perhaps we can envision a beloved community, and while we may not find the perfectly loving institutional church, perhaps we can abide in communion with others wherever that path may lead us.
Click below to sign up! We look forward to seeing you there!